Tulisa Contostavlos is reportedly hoping her stint in the jungle will lead to some luck in her personal life after years of heartbreak.
The N-Dubz singer, who mentored Little Mix when they won The X Factor in 2011, was officially unveiled as part of the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! 2024 line-up on Monday night and is already in Australia ready for the show's launch this weekend.
Speaking ahead of joining the likes of former boxer Barry McGuigan, podcaster GK Barry, WAG Coleen Rooney and McFly star Danny Jones in camp, Tulisa claimed her latest reality TV venture isn't a career move and she just wants ITV viewers to see her being her "true, authentic self."
But sources close to the star claim Tulisa, 36, is hoping her "true, authentic self" is enough to bag her a new romance. The former X Factor judge has been celibate for two years now but is open to finding love in the star-studded camp, just like Peter Andre and Katie Price did all the way back in 2004.
Image:
ITV)Tulisa famously enjoyed high-profile romances with the likes of The Wanted's Max George and actor Jack O'Connell prior to taking a step back from the limelight. The 36-year-old has kept her love life under wraps over recent years but is said to be ready to settle down.
"Tulisa would love a rumble in the jungle," a source claims to Closer magazine. "She's a die-hard romantic, and the tough exterior is just a front after she's built up a resistance to a lifetime of let-downs." When it comes to single men in camp, Tulisa will have Radio 1 DJ Melvin Odoom and Corrie star Alan Halsall to flirt with.
Speaking about her reasons for appearing on I’m A Celebrity, Tulisa said on Monday: "My number one mission is to be my true, authentic self. If me being my authentic self connects with people in a mass way, then it must mean I’m doing something right in life. But I am not going to go looking for it. This isn’t a career move for me either. I will always go back to N-Dubz and this is a one-off experience."
The London-born singer compared her upcoming experience on the show to Lord Of The Rings. She added: "I am like Frodo Baggins on an unexpected journey. I feel really adventurous this year and the place I am now in, I want to do things that take me out of my comfort zone. I have always said I wouldn’t do this show in the past, as there are things that have terrified me. But the person I am now, I want to throw caution to the wind."
Tulisa didn't tell her bandmates about her jungle adventure ahead of the line-up being revealed but the friends she did let in on the secret were "really excited" for her when she informed them. She added: "They feel it will be good for people to see the person I am, and not the perception. They are two very different people and they are excited. I just want to be in a place now where I live authentically."
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads
English (US) ·